I'm very excited to share this new article with an all-star cast of coauthors on the dangers of ignoring domestic causes in public-facing IR! @lanoszka.bsky.social @seva.bsky.social @profpaulpoast.bsky.social @joannaszostek.bsky.social @bohdanakurylo.bsky.social

2025 State of World Liberty Rankings: 1. Switzerland 2. New Zealand & Ireland 4. Denmark, Luxembourg, Finland, & Norway

Dropping my daughter off at camp today was difficult in a way it never has been before. www.wsj.com/lifestyle/re...

Some longer form thoughts about the tragedy happening in a place so dear to my childhood - and people trying to point fingers. I want to thank @texasinafrica.bsky.social and some of her posts/responses for inspiring/motivating me to sit down and get these thoughts on digital paper.

When you live somewhere and disaster strikes, it makes no sense to pretend it isn’t personal. For me, there’s no other way to process terrible things than to make journalism. To my friends from home who went to Camp Mystic and Heart O' the Hills — this is for you. thebarbedwire.com/2025/07/05/c...

I spent a lot of time growing up on the Guadalupe. I was married on its shores just half a mile from Camp Mystic. It’s a wonderful place, with wonderful people, who have suffered an unimaginable tragedy. Please do what you can.

It’s a cruel irony that I wrote about the death of American soft power just before the passing of Joe Nye. danieldrezner.substack.com/p/joseph-nye...

Tonight my kids decided to play congress. To avoid bedtime, my five year old spoke for 58 minutes. Thanks, @corybooker.com, thanks.

Farewell to Brandon Valeriano. Just taught his work on cyber today. Going to conferences just won’t be the same.

UN General Assembly vote on A/79/L.54: Declaring July 12 the International Day of Hope to "enhance peace, tolerance and social stability, respect for diversity and mutual respect, and create...an environment conducive to well-being, peace and mutual understanding."

One of the more perplexing things I find about neorealists is that despite their complete reliance on power as a causal variable, they are often rendered totally incapacitated if you ask them how to measure it.

Hegemonic suicide strategy

Farewell ISA - so great to see old friends, particularly given all the current things, and experience well-deserved distinguished scholar panels for Birol Yesilada, Jacek Kugler, and Pat James!

As I said, he played it beautifully. To the neorealists criticizing Zelenskyy: I know Mearsheimer made neorealism synonymous with Putinism in the popular consciousness, but that doesn't mean the rest of you neorealist think tankers have to become tankies.

Watching the neorealists attack Zelenskyy for yesterday is shocking. Z handled it beautifully. It was an obvious ambush, and Trump has no intention of helping Ukr. Standing up to the pathetic attempt at bullying gained him enormous cred with those who will actually continue to come to his aid.

Coyne argues Ukraine is a more reliable ally than the US because of ideas, not that it is stronger. What good is strength if the ally doesn't come to your aid? But why is the US unreliable? Because ideas peddled by "neorealist" scholars have leaked into the Trump administration. Not power.

Illustration of yesterday's UN resolution on a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine. 93 In Favour 18 Against 65 Abstain

Great powers capitulating to declining powers is certainly new one.

I would really prefer not to have to keep posting this.

Oh come on. I was a city council member of a 5k population town, and I got death threats. Grow a spine, you’re a United States Senator.

Inspiring talk tonight by @avalaina.bsky.social! “Unpunished evil grows.”

Academic friends outside the US: what are the main job posting sources for positions in your country? I like to keep an eye on apsa and chronicle, but non-US postings there are usually limited to only the largest research universities.

Very excited to announce that Oleksandra Matviichuk, whose organization the Center for Civil Liberties was awarded the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize, will be speaking at VMI next week! Details below: www.vmi.edu/news/headlin...

I talk extensively about this both in the conclusion to Kugler and I’s textbook and my new edited volume with Bakich. Tl;dr - offshore balancing is a disaster.

Thrilled to have a physical copy of this project in hand. So many great contributions that could not be more timely given the events of this past week.

Trump might yet throw Ukraine under the bus, but Biden's sin was to create the conditions to make that possible.

Nate Silver would have failed my undergraduate methods course.

At Power Lines - Kang, Kugler, and Zeng talk deterrence and avoiding nuclear war. trcacademic.substack.com/p/averting-n...

Can confirm

"Professors are all radical Marxists" is the kind of take that makes sense if you haven't met a college professor since 1971 or base your opinions on professors from movies. The modal faculty member's platonic ideal of a politician is like, Tim Kaine. Mayor Pete's a bit too far left for them.

When my kids call me out in the middle of one of my rants

Never have two people in a twitter fight deserved each other more.

Not only do we exist, but there are so many more of us. Not to be intimidating, but you are woefully outnumbered.

New at Power Lines - I know a post on deterrence was promised, but immigration seemed more timely. Kuger, Tammen, and Zeng talk immigration strategy that can preserve American power. (Link in Comments)

This is the way

🌿🕊️ on this International Day of Peace--when peace seems so unattainable--it is refreshing to read about "a grand strategy of peace," one that emphasizes careful cooperation and strategic accommodation of would-be adversaries. Thank you @patrickrhamey.bsky.social. open.substack.com/pub/trcacade...

The new PolScience feed will be up and running this weekend! It'll be based on the PolScience list (bsky.app/profile/did:...) . Comment here OR DM to get added. Please RT/share widely! #polisky #politicalscience

Check out "Power Lines" - A new substack from Power Transition+ scholars. Our goal is to provide regular, short, policy-relevant analysis to a wide audience. Subscribe! Kugler has a great short piece on immigration to be posted Monday. trcacademic.substack.com #conflictsky #polisky #intsec

James McMurtry and Betty Soo down in the Lime Kiln. Texas music warms my soul.

Me too! Exact same experience! My 13 year old was just shocked the entire debate. He kept saying “what is happening????”

If "originalists" were really originalists, they'd be choosing historians, rather than JDs, for the judiciary. Hell, once you throw stare decisis out the window then it's not clear why a law degree is even a qualification for the bench.

*university president resigns in disgrace University: please accept this $6 million dollars *faculty retire after 40 years University: please accept this decorative mug! Faculty: University: actually, you need to pay for the mug. we’re trying to close this $6 million hole in the budget…

We have classes as normal…

Texas wins & the Aggies are sad. Welcome back, college football!

At my first conference, halfway through my presentation a drunk guy started yelling about China, and two minutes later he passed out and fell out of his chair.

R&R submitted and corrected book page proofs sent in the same day! And tomorrow, I will be rewarded by writing a syllabus for a senior seminar where I guide 60 individual, unique research papers! The glamorous life of a liberal arts college professor. Contain your jealousy.